new2BC4bass

No SV here....yet...but have a couple 51E's tho none with a Yumeya spool. One has been upgraded and supertuned. As much as I like them, I'd rather grab a Daiwa when wanting to throw lighter baits. Yeah, I know...heresy on this forum.

I'm no reel expert. That is why I send my reels to someone like DVT to take care of for me.

Same here. I have a hard time passing up a good deal....even tho I don't need it. I could have bought 10 really good outfits for what I have sitting in the basement in lower cost outfits. However, I do have some nice ones I wouldn't get rid of even tho they aren't Loomis, St. Croix, Megabass, Dobyns, etc.. I think the more expensive rods would be wasted on me. Would like to downsize by at least 10, but have a hard time letting anything go.

Classifieds...mostly.

Most are. Not sure about Izorline Platinum and P-Line CXX. You see a lot of people posting that fluorocarbon line doesn't have near the stretch of mono. Bull. If a line handles like wire, then it will have a lower stretch value...whether it is mono or fluoro. I prefer a little softer for its handling qualities. Not only will it stretch like mono, but when it breaks, you have to cut an extra few feet off. At least I had to when I got stuck in the rocks with my 10# fluoro because of the way the end frayed/split.

Right hand or left hand? Not all brand/model reels come in both hands. Specifics...reels: Have both Tatula and Tatula R. Can't tell any differences in casting ability. I like the 8.1:1 ratio of my Type R. Personally I like the finish of the Type R better. Finish on both models appears to be tougher than many previous Daiwa models. Some are bothered by its slightly heavier weight. I'm not. Like them a lot. I do not have an Alphas SV, but will before much longer. Slightly less than $200 if ordered from Japan. Great reviews on this reel. Lots of love here for Lews. My only experience with Lews is with one of the original Tournament Pros. It is a very nice reel. Light. Nice looking. Dual brakes. Shimano has a huge fan base on this site. Love my Curado 51E's but if I am going to be throwing light lures, I would rather grab my TD-Z 105H or an Alphas. Others will be just the opposite. My other Curado is a 201E7. Love this reel. My Chronarchs are the older models,,,101A and 100B. The last 3 models are about as foolproof casting as you can get. Easy to see why so many love Shimano reels. Last 3 are all on MH rods while the 51Es are on Medium rods. I've got a couple of the older Pflueger Trions and the blue Patriarch XTs. Pflueger seems to be the Rodney Dangerfields of reels. Don't get the respect they deserve. Based on my experience with these reels, I wouldn't be afraid to recommend a President or Supreme. Fishing 13 *** gets great reviews. No experience, but it is one of 4 reels I would like to have before slaying the Bait Monkey. The Okuma Helios Air is another of the 4 I want. Reviews suggests it handles light lures quite well along with the standard weights for bass. My Abus are also older models so I can't comment on the new ones, but my Gen 1 STX is a really good reel. Actually like it better than my Gen 1 Premier. Finally I want to put another plug in for Pinnacle reels. You can read a few reviews on this site about the new models. My experience is with the Primmus. These are hand tuned at the factory. It is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. TW sells for $225, Walmart currently has them for $179.08, but I got mine for just under $157. A steal. Very light. Very nice looking (to me). Very smooth. Casts as good or better than any reel I have. Specifics..rods. Here is where you have to be specific in what you want to use the rod for. There are a lot of good low priced rods today. I can only make general recommendations. Most people will suggest a MF or MHF as the best for an all-around rod. I belong to that group. Most of my rods have a Fast action as I feel it is the most versatile. If I had to pick one rod it would be a 7' to 7'4" MHF. Berkley Lightning or Lightning Shock. Personally I can't get by the yellow on the Shock. Both are very good rods on the low price scale. My Lightning is a 6' MHF dedicated to spinnerbaits. I read good things about the Ethos H2O rods, but have zero experience with them. Fenwick. I am a fan. If you can still find a new Elite Tech Smallmouth...grab it even if you have to pay the full $129 retail price. I like my HMG 7'2" Med-ModFast a lot. If you are willing to spend a bit more, the Aetos is a fine rod. Fishing 13. Great rods for the price. Don't know about the handles on the new models, but it is the only complaint I have about my *** Black. Casting one-handed with it is almost impossible for me as it feels like I am going to throw the rod along with the lure. Luckily I seldom use just one hand to cast so it doesn't stop me from enjoying this fine rod. Powells are another brand where you get good value for your money. Mine is the discontinued Endurance....purchased used. I can highly recommend one of these if you find a used one in good condition. The Okuma 7' Medium Helios is on my wish list. Some feel Okuma rods are very under-rated. I have an older Quantum Smoke. Don't care for the location of the hook keeper. However, the rod is light, quite sensitive, and has the most comfortable reel seat/trigger of any rod I own. Thanks to Dan's (smalljaw67) recommendations I also have a couple Tour Editions and Superlites. Both highly under-rated...far as I am concerned. Keep an eye open for Tatula rods. Love mine. Got lucky and paid less than $100 from Walmart for my 2 new ones. Used one was an even $100...7'2" MHR. Great value, and I for one like their looks. Should have taken advantage of Walmart's price for the 7'4" HF, but kept hoping it would also drop below $100. No such luck before they sold out. Okay. Time to let others make a few recommendations.

I've managed to spend a few thousand over the past 6 years on gear. Wouldn't have spent nearly as much if I lived where the fishing was good. I would have been out catching fish instead of on the Internet ordering more gear. I started taking guitar lessons this year. Talk about an expensive hobby! What some feel is a cheap acoustic guitar goes for over $2k. Way beyond my budget. EDIT: BTW I am also a righty who started with lefty spinning reels so when I went to b/c reels I stayed on the same side. Not all reels are available in left hand so I learned to reel right hand and cast left hand. Not too hard for most people to do and definitely has its advantages.

Maybe smalljaw67 will check in with some information. Information I got from Dan when I asked him about some cheaper rods (for a friend) was that a friend of his who uses nothing but high end gear bought an E-Motion for his son and was quite impressed with the rod. Dan will have to give you the particulars as I no longer remember them. I just remember that it is one line I would give a serious look at if I needed a rod in that price range.

Split grip saves weight. Otherwise I think it is mostly personal preference. Personally I think you should get a Medium Fast spinning rod. I much prefer baitcast reels, but I wouldn't want to use one with a bobber. Especially if you are trying to keep several feet between the bobber and the bait. I am a fan of Fenwick rods. They have an HMG 7' MF rated 1/4 - 3/4 oz. This actually is more a MH for me as several of my MH casting rods carry that rating. If you'd like to go a bit lighter they also have an HMG 7' ML-F rated 1/8 - 5/8 oz. One of these and a Pflueger President will run about $160 new.

X2 That is how I clean my reels.

Several favorites, but an older 7' ML HMG and TD-Z 105 H with 8# mono make a fun combo.

Turn the brakes off.

Only ever owned one. An ultra light Daiwa. POS. No desire to ever own another.

To this list I would add the Daiwa Tatula if you can find one for about $26 less than MSRP. I bought 2 new ones for just under $100. Can't beat that with a 10 foot stick.

I've got one. Seldom use my spinning outfits. Most people today prefer the infinite anti-reverse (also called instant anti-reverse) found on newer reels. However, the drag is suppose to be one of the best. I have to say I also prefer the instant anti-reverse. Pflueger makes some very nice reels for the money. Several are within your $100 budget, I haven't tried one yet, but Daiwa's new Fuego would be a perfect fit on my older Fuego spinning rod. I've got a few older Daiwas (besides the Tournament SS series) and have had no problems the little I have used them. Lots of people will also recommend a Shimano or possibly a Lews. $100 will get you a pretty good spinning reel. Heck, some love the $40 Pflueger Trion.

Sorry my post wasn't that accurate. You are correct. Fenwick made my favorite rod.

To answer your question, Fenwick makes my favorite spinning rod.

Never had a set of Legos. Don't think they had been invented yet. Also you need a place to work. I don't have one. My wife is very particular what I put on the kitchen table.

Silver Thread AN40. McCoy Mean Green. I am also a fan of Sufix Siege mono. Quite a few good choices.

Good advice.................if you don't mind tinkering. I don't. It would definitely be much cheaper if I did. I've used 3 different services, and gotten excellent results from each. I don't know how to respond to the problems you've had. I am sorry that your experiences were anything other than fantastic.

I had a similar problem with my Alphas ito except I just needed a heavier lure. Think it was the 3rd b/c reel I bought, and I was a long way from being a decent caster with one. Little better now, but still got quite a ways to go. The 1st Sol I bought was backlashing almost every cast with a 3/16 oz spinnerbait. Got ticked off and started throwing hard like I normally do. No more backlashes. This was back when I was starting to learn how to cast lighter baits on a b/c reel. OP, not suggesting you need to throw harder since you obviously are already experienced. Too bad you don't have a friend using an Xtreme so he could try yours. Would be nice if you could eliminate the human factor. Could be you got a touchy reel. My Zillion 50th is a set and forget reel. My standard Zillion requires a bit more adjusting for conditions.

It is a nice looking combo.............period. OP (and BassinLou) how about a review once you get to fish them a bit?

True. Also the rod question is a good one. What rod is the Xtreme on? Have you tried the Xtreme on the rod the MGX is on? 3/16 oz. weighted hook plus plastic should be enough weight for most MH rods unless their low limit is 3/8 oz. instead of 1/4 oz. Also some rods are under-rated. Trying to cast when the rod tip isn't loading is an exercise in frustration. Now we know the line and the lure weights the rod model would be a good thing to know. I have a MHF rod rated for 3/8 to 1-1/4 oz. that will barely cast a 1/2 oz. lure fishing distances. It isn't due to the reel, but to the rod.

First let me welcome you to the forum. I've no experience with either of your reels, so can't offer an opinion as to what the problem might be. This much I can say. Faster spools require either more braking or better thumb control or a combination of both. You don't mention what weights you are casting. Lighter lures require more precise casting strokes plus a good thumb plus the correct braking. If I am using something around 5/16 oz. and up, then spool speed doesn't seem to affect my casting. Get down around 3/16 oz. and I better be paying close attention to every aspect of the cast no matter what the weight of the spool might be. Like deaknh03 said, it may simply be spending enough time with the reel to master how it likes to be used. People post all the time about how easy it is to cast light lures with a 50 size Shimano, yet I do better with Daiwas. I may be in the same boat as you. Just need to concentrate on using the Shimanos more.

I don't consider myself a fanboy of any particular brand, but if I did I guess I would lean towards Daiwa. I've got a standard and a Type R Tatula. However, as a first baitcast reel I would suggest another model for backlash free casting. Will cost a bit more even used. That is a T3 model with the MagForce 3D braking. These are the only reels I can cast with zero brakes on and not have a professional grade backlash. I have to assume that the Longcast setting still applies some braking because I know I don't have the skill to cast a reel with absolutely no braking being applied somewhere along the line. TackleTour didn't feel the Type R was worth the extra $50 over the standard Tatula. Personally I do because I like the finish on the R better and because I am liking the 8.1:1 ratio. I see no difference in casting performance, but then I'm not an expert either.